


Beats Upon My Neck

by hazelandglasz



Series: Tumblr Glee Ficlets [70]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Duet, Fluff, M/M, Showers, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22677805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelandglasz/pseuds/hazelandglasz
Summary: Prompt: > “So we’ve never met but our showers are on opposite sides of the same apartment wall so sometimes we’re showering at the same time and we sing duets."
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel
Series: Tumblr Glee Ficlets [70]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1505567
Comments: 1
Kudos: 61





	Beats Upon My Neck

There are many things that Blaine loves about his apartment, about his new life in New York.

The bricks on the wall of his living room, which gives the place a proper “loft” feel even though it’s quite a small place.

The kitchen  [ space ](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Se3LCWT_QW-1gsLNhH7dd3pknvs=/0x0:5472x3648/1200x800/filters:focal\(2299x1387:3173x2261\)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63834723/shutterstock_1139077133.0.jpg) , which is almost exactly what he always wanted.

The bodega right around the corner, always open when Blaine has a craving that needs to be filled.

And finally, the  [ bathroom ](https://www.babywatchome.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/new-york-tile-for-small-with-lever-handles-bathroom-contemporary-and-tiled-wall-mirror.jpg) .

God, does Blaine love his bathroom. It’s small, sure, but it’s so pretty and light.

And the shower itself is heaven on Earth. Just the perfect amount of pressure, and the acoustics!

Every time he even hums in the shower feels like he’s singing at Madison Square Garden.

If his short walk to the bathroom taught him anything, it’s that today will require a lot if he wants to keep his energy up.

So, so cold.

Brrr-levels of cold.

Blaine starts humming the tune of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” while the water heats up, but he almost drops his bottle of shampoo when, from the other side of the wall, someone sings the first line, humming the responding part when Blaine remains quiet.

He lathers the shampoo into his hair, while his neighbor has a duet by himself.

Before he decides to join in, because the man has a beautiful voice and Blaine would be an idiot not to seize the opportunity of singing with such a performer.

The next chance he gets, Blaine sings. 

_ “Beautiful, what’s your hurry?” _

The man on the other side of the wall pauses before singing his part.

_ “My father will be pacing the floor.” _

_ “Listen to the fire place roar.” _

They sing the whole song, Blaine’s fingers pruning when they get to the finale.

His neighbor claps. “Well done,” they say, making Blaine smile.

“Not too bad yourself, neighbor,” he replies, turning off the water. “Have a nice day.”

“You too.”

So, that was new. That never happened before.

Then again, the apartment next door was sold while Blaine was visiting his brother on the West Coast, as Mrs. Pavarotti left the building to move in with her sister in Florida.

All right, Blaine muses as he towels himself dry, so he has a new neighbor with quite an impressive voice.

He wonders if the songs he sings match the plumage of the man’s wings, so to speak.

The question haunts him for several weeks, as a matter of fact, because no matter what time he leaves the apartment or comes back home, he never manages to meet his lovely duet partner.

And yes, the man next door is officially Blaine’s favorite duet partner. They have sung all kinds of songs—their selection covers the vast range between Dean Martin and the Neon Trees—and if anything, Blaine feels like singing in the morning with his neighbor only improves his own performance.

One morning, though, Blaine feels like he’s… intruding in something very private.

Like his neighbor is showing a side of him Blaine never saw until now.

On this special morning, Next Door Neighbor decides to sing “Blackbird”. It doesn’t call for Blaine to sing along, particularly since his neighbor’s voice seems rougher than usual. He simply listens, and acts as a background singer during the chorus.

Something is shifting, and Blaine can’t put his fingers on it as he gets dressed and arranges his hair.

He wouldn’t be able to tell you what force pushes him to rush out of the apartment before being completely ready, carrying two mugs of coffee, to knock on the door.

An action he never even considered.

The door opens on a man whose voice, yes, is mirrored by his appearance—though there is a sadness there that Blaine didn’t picture before.

“Yes?”

“Hi,” Blaine says, getting a hold of himself even though his heart beats madly in his chest. “I’m Blaine, your—your neighbor next door.”

Some of the sadness melts away as the man looks at Blaine, the shadow of a smile slowly appearing on his lips.

“Ah. My Warbler, then.”

Blaine doesn’t mind the nickname one bit. “I suppose that’s me. Coffee?”

This time, the smile is wider. “I liked your voice, Blaine, but you’re climbing in my ranking of friends and acquaintances.”

“You’re welcome,” Blaine says, holding up the mug, letting his voice hang just long enough for the man to realize he never gave him his name.

“Oh. I’m Kurt. Kurt Hummel.” 

They shake hands, still holding the mugs of coffee while they stand around Kurt’s door.

Kurt lets go of Blaine’s hand and wraps his hands around the mug. “Do you… want to come in?”

Blaine does, he does want to come in, to talk, about everything and anything, but particularly about the sadness still present in Kurt’s eyes, but he can’t.

“I have to go to work”, he says, “but let’s just say that your song selection this morning—it moved me, and I had to check that you were, um, that you were alright.”

Kurt stays silent, and Blaine wants to just rewind the last few seconds. 

Before Blaine can apologize or take it back, Kurt brushes his fingers against his hand. “It’s… it’s very kind of you, Blaine. I am—it’s…” He pauses, closing his eyes briefly before returning their amazing blue to Blaine. “I really appreciate it. If you have to go, maybe we could go get a drink tonight? I have a feeling there is a lot we need to talk about.”

Blaine can’t help but beam at Kurt. “That’s a great idea, Kurt,” he says, mentally checking his plans. “We can meet at  [ Yours Sincerely ](http://www.yourssincerely.co/) ?”

Kurt’s smile turns crooked. “I have heard of it but never got the time to pay them a visit.”

“Two birds with one stone, then.”

“Though everybody says it’s a perfect first date spot.”

Blaine can feel his face heating up. “We’ll have to check for ourselves if that reputation is justified.”

Kurt blushes too, hiding his face behind Blaine’s mug as he empties it. “Thank you again for the coffee, and see you tonight then.”

“See you tonight.”

(They manage to go through the entire menu in the course of twenty or so dates. Their first kiss happens over an exchange of cocktails,  Desert spoon and Pineapple Express to be precise . Two years later, they have a double proposal and their engagement in a karaoke bar because where else could they celebrate their love for each other and their gratitude to songs?)


End file.
